In 1494–1495 and again in 1505–1507, the German artist
Albrecht Dürer traveled to
Venice. In
Bologna Dürer was taught the principles of
linear perspective (possibly by
Luca Pacioli or
Donato Bramante), and evidently he became familiar with Leonardo's geometrical construction of shadows technique. Several Dürer engravings show a clear interest in the works of Leonardo; for example
The Small Horse is based upon the
Sforza Horse by Leonardo. During his second stay in Venice Dürer was influenced by Leonardo's cartoon of
Christ among the Doctors, which was commissioned by
Isabella d'Este. Dürer produced
a painted version of the subject, now in the
Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza,
Madrid. This is the only painting of Dürer's that was directly influenced by Leonardo, however, Dürer introduced new subjects developed by Leonardo in his art (e.g. the figure of the young Saint John the Baptist in his composition of
Madonna with the Siskin in 1506, which was not familiar to Venetian art at the time). Despite the regard in which he was held by the Venetians, Dürer returned to Nuremberg by mid-1507, remaining in Germany until 1520. His reputation had spread throughout Europe and he was on friendly terms and in communication with most of the major artists including
Raphael,
Giovanni Bellini, and—mainly through Lorenzo di Credi—Leonardo da Vinci. It is believed that
Quentin Matsys had known the work of Leonardo da Vinci in the form of prints made and circulated among northern artists. His
Madonna and Child with the Lamb, inspired by Leonardo's
The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne, and
A Grotesque Old Woman (or
The Ugly Duchess), show the influence of Leonardo. This is regarded as evidence that Matsys was greatly influenced by Italian Renaissance artists and that he most likely travelled to Italy, at least for a brief period. In 1516 or 1517, Leonardo joined the court of
Francis I of France. Coincidentally, a Flemish portrait painter,
Joos van Cleve, also was summoned to the French court, where he painted the king, queen, and other courtiers. It is thought that Joos van Cleve had spent some time in Italy as well as France on this trip. Like Quentin Massys, a fellow artist of
Antwerp, Joos van Cleve appropriated some themes and techniques of Leonardo da Vinci. Often, Joos van Cleve is called the
Leonardo of the North. Paintings by the Italian Renaissance artists
Giampietrino (
Madonna of the Cherries) and Marco d'Oggiono (
The Holy Infants Embracing), both assistants in the workshop of Leonardo da Vinci, were a major influence on the Antwerp master. Joos van Cleve produced numerous versions of his own paintings after these models, adapting them to his own style and so creating some of the most successful compositions of the time in northern Europe. His son,
Cornelis van Cleve, continued an artistic interest in Leonardo, producing several copies of his father's work and the
Madonna of the Yarnwinder. ==Gallery==